“My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee. Keep my commandments, and live; and my law as the apple of thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of thine heart” (Proverbs 7:3).

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, penned the key to success in training children. He realized that for a child to be effective in the Kingdom of God, there would have to be some “writing” on the soft clay of a child’s heart. The process of carving, engraving and imprinting words or letters into a clay tablet was a time-consuming process, but for something to last many generations, it must be done intentionally and deliberately. Solomon knew that etched into the fiber of every child should be the Word of God, the principles of His Word and the moral compass of truth.

Statistics tell us that by the time a child is nine, his moral foundation is formed. By the age of thirteen, his spiritual foundation is formed. Training for children must begin as soon as they are born. There is no time to lose, to etch Godly character and wisdom into the tables of their heart. This etching process can be done in Sunday School class and at church, but more importantly, it must be done at home and modeled by parents and mentors.

A child should be taught the commandments and law of the Lord. This includes, but is not limited to the Ten Commandments. It encompasses proper doctrine, morality, world-view and worship. It is taught verbally and non-verbally. Children watch the things we say and do and pattern their life accordingly. What a responsibility we have to the children coming behind to show them the pattern of a God-centered life.

Once hardened to tables of stone, whatever has been etched will never vanish. The impressions we make upon children, whether small or great, will last a lifetime with them. Let’s train our children in Godly ways while they are still malleable—they deserve our very best effort!

The Heart of a Child
Author Unknown
Whatever you write on the heart of a child
No water can wash away
The sand may be shifted when billows
are wild
And the efforts of time may decay.
Some stories may perish, some songs
may be forgotten
But this graven record—time changes it not
Whatever you write on the heart of a child
A story of gladness or care
That heaven has blessed or earth defiled
Will linger unchangeable there